Trevone Boykin's senior season spanned the spectrum
Two months ago, TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin was everybody's hero, college football's feel-good story of the season. The good-natured senior, unprompted, knelt beside a young Iowa State fan whose illness restricted her to a wheelchair. Boykin, peering through his helmet and into the eyes of the awe-struck little girl, melted hearts worldwide.
The photograph that captured the essence of the moment, snapped at midfield before the Horned Frogs' game at Iowa State, quickly went viral. Not only did the Internet fall in love with Boykin's kindness, the picture seemingly was shown on every news program.
It generated so much positivity toward Boykin and TCU that a few weeks later the school flew the little girl's entire family to Fort Worth on a booster's private plane to watch Boykin play.
Now, suddenly and shockingly, Boykin's TCU career is over, and his reputation as one of the sport's "good guys" is likely about to take a harder hit than any his body endured over the last two seasons of remarkable football.
Boykin, 22, was suspended from Saturday's Alamo Bowl against the Oregon Ducks after formally being charged with assaulting a patrol officer, a third-degree felony, and assigned a $5,000 bond. According to reports, it was the result of a chain of events that transpired when Boykin and some teammates were hanging out late-night at a popular San Antonio River Walk bar.
According to reports, patrons recognized Boykin, the two-time Heisman Trophy candidate, and began to razz him, and one thing apparently led to another, as they often do when young athletes enter public places they shouldn't.
While it's unfortunate there are those who feel it is their right to rile athletes in a public setting, TCU coach Gary Patterson is surely far more distraught with his star quarterback -- who just weeks ago received his degree, who befriended that little girl at Iowa State, and who is on the cusp of training for the NFL Draft. But this time he decided to not only break team rules by entering a bar, but allegedly turned violent and got himself arrested.
"Trevone Boykin and (teammate) Preston Miller have been suspended for Saturday’s game due to a violation of team rules," Patterson said in a statement. "We are disappointed in their actions and apologize to the TCU Horned Frogs Nation, Valero Alamo Bowl and city of San Antonio."
To end his career in this way is sad. Boykin's TCU story has been one of perseverance and ambition and ultimately unprecedented success.
Failing to cut it early on as a quarterback, Patterson tried him out at running back and wide receiver. Prior to his junior season, TCU implemented the Air Raid offense and Boykin was in a quarterback competition with Texas A&M transfer Matt Joeckel, a race that many believed Boykin couldn't win.
But he earned the start for the 2014 season opener and half a season later he was a Heisman candidate launching spirals down field for quick-strike touchdowns, locking up defenses as an elusive runner and elevating TCU as a national player.
The Horned Frogs are 22-3 over the past two seasons and shared the Big 12 title last year in just their third season in the league. They also flirted with a College Football Playoff berth until being bumped out -- inexplicably still to many at TCU -- in the final ranking. Injuries short-circuited this season's efforts, yet the Horned Frogs still managed 10 wins with Boykin carrying the heaviest load of all.
As news of his arrest spread Thursday morning, fans in Fort Worth woke up to an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram touting Boykin's dedication to prove the naysayers wrong yet again, determined to play quarterback at the next level and not succumb to those who say he must move to receiver or running back.
According to the article by Charean Williams, Boykin will soon begin training with quarterback guru George Whitfield in San Diego.
"There's not any doubt in my mind he can play quarterback," Patterson told Williams. "He's played running back for us. He's played wide receiver for us, all that stuff also. He'd be an unbelievable kickoff and punt returner, especially punt returner.
"But I firmly believe somebody should look at him real close and at least give him a chance at quarterback, to be honest with you. He's one of the best that I've ever been around."
Unfortunately for Boykin, just two days before he was supposed to ride off into the TCU sunset, playing quarterback again is now the least of his concerns.